For a full description of the (Y4) reading plan, see the “About” page.
Lev. 22
The business of cleanliness per the Mosaic Law is beyond tedious! I don’t know how anybody even kept up with whether or not they were clean. It would be so easy to unknowingly touch something that came in contact with an unclean person. I think maybe that’s the point, though. Becoming unclean is absolutely unavoidable, even if you give it your best effort. And you can easily be unclean without realizing it. So it is with sin. As humans, it is absolutely unavoidable for us and we sometimes sin without even realizing it. That’s why we need God. We simply can’t be holy on our own and can’t share in God’s bounty without being holy.
Ps. 28-29
David said the workers of iniquity, “…do not regard the works of the LORD nor the deeds of His hands” (Ps. 28:5a-b). As with the age old chicken and egg question, I wonder which came first. Do people not regard the works of the LORD because they are evil? Or are they evil because they don’t regard the works of the LORD? I think it is likely both, but the second perspective offers a warning for me. The less I regard God, the more casually I consider Him, and the more I take for granted His place in my life, the more likely I am to fall into iniquity. Thus, I think it would be very good practice to intentionally follow David’s call on a daily basis. “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due to His name; worship the LORD in holy array.” (Ps. 29:2).
Ecc. 5
The first part of this chapter goes along with what I just wrote. A flippant attitude before a holy God isn’t good. The Preacher’s advice? “Guard your steps… Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought…let your words be few…fear God.” (From Ecc. 5:1-7).